


And Sometimes I Feel Like I've Been Here Before

by ken_ichijouji (dommific)



Series: Your Heart is the Biggest Gift You Can Give Anyone [4]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Birthday, Domestic, Family, Fluff, Growing Up, Hasetsu, M/M, Menstruation, Pets, Post-Canon, Retirement
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-01-11 00:53:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12311424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dommific/pseuds/ken_ichijouji
Summary: Yuuri turns 44 and reflects on life, love, and family.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This would be the "secret" that was listed on the series summary. The title is a lyric from "Honeymoon Avenue."
> 
> The horrible ringtone is Color Me Badd's "I Wanna Sex You Up." If people know me well, they will recognize Kolos, but if you don't---Kolos is Russian for Spike.
> 
> I apologize that Makkachin is no longer with us, but as I set this 20 years after Chapter 12 of Taker...well. He did not suffer and is remembered quite fondly, if it helps. I hope the other doggos will make up for some of the sting.
> 
> (All humans have survived however.)
> 
> I hope you like the kids. I may or may not revisit them!
> 
> For errantlight!
> 
> Note: You don't need really much of anything from Taker to follow this, tbh, but it...spoils the ending of Taker as much as its summary does.

He’s shaken awake at some unholy hour that should not exist.

“Yuuuuuuuuriiiiiiiiii,” says Victor. “Yuuuuuurrrrriiiiii.”

“I can file for divorce, you know,” Yuuri complains. This is after several seconds of swearing in his three languages, of course.

“It’s 5:24,” Victor says. “ _S dnyem roshdeniya, tanjoubi omedetou, yom hu'ledet sameach_ , happy birthday, and _bon anniversaire_!”

The look Yuuri gives him could kill a man. It does nothing to his husband, who smiles brighter. “Every year with this.”

“You love it,” Victor replies. “You love it more than you can say.”

“Humph,” Yuuri grumbles, but his lips twitch into a smile regardless. “Anyways…”

Victor kisses him before he can finish his thought, and his mind then focuses on other, sexier things as his hands climb up his husband’s bare back. Victor is about to flatten him down when their door gets pushed open part way and an unmistakeable giggle makes Yuuri pull back. He’s without his glasses so he can’t see much aside from a four-foot-eleven-inch-and-climbing blur with dark hair.

“ _Otouchan_ ,” cries their eldest. Katsuki-Nikiforova Hikari is eleven, with her _Papulya’s_ blue eyes and heart-shaped smile. She also has her _Otouchan’s_ black hair and round cheeks. She’s beautiful, the apple of Yuuri’s eye. 

Dogs are her favorite thing after figure skating and cheese blintzes, with most of their family’s pets sleeping in her bed every night. 

Barking proceeds her followed by red, apricot, and cream blurs landing on Yuuri and Victor—a standard poodle named Katsu (Hikari’s doing), their toy poodle named Legend who is a rescue with only three legs, and a Shiba Inu called Daifuku, also Hikari’s doing. 

Following behind the dogs and Hikari, who manages to wedge in the center of the pile on the bed, is nine year old Hinata. He inherited Yuuri’s need for glasses, red frames sitting on his face over his deep brown eyes. He got Victor’s light hair and high cheekbones though, so Yuuri’s sure the kid will be okay. On the infrequent occasions he smiles, he and Hikari favor each other quite strongly.

Hinata joins them on the king bed with a very serious expression. “ _Tanjoubi omedetou, Otouchan_ ,” he proclaims in his usual way—like he’s a somber newscaster giving a report on a disaster.

Neither set of grandparents (or their doting Mari- _oba_ ) have any inkling how their kid could be this solemn, and _yet_ —

They grab the children into a group hug, Daifuku and Legend worming into the embrace while Katsu lies close with a wagging tail, realizing she’s too big to join in. It’s far too early for all of this since the children have school and should get their full rest, but Yuuri’s heart is bursting from joy and he can’t be bothered to care. 

“Thank you all,” he says with a big grin. He musses Hinata’s hair much to his annoyance, which is mostly just cute. Hikari beams at him, and Daifuku licks his face. Yuuri laughs and pets the Shiba while the kids chatter about how excited they are for the big dinner at Yu-Topia that night. 

Victor stopped calling them a surprise eventually. 

_Eventually_.

Victor kisses his hair and slips out of bed with a wink, and Hikari settles where he was. “ _Otouchan_ ,” she says. “Can we stay home with you today?”

Yuuri gives her an unimpressed look while he puts on his glasses. “Hikari—“

“Please,” she says. “I want to spend the day with you and _Papulya_.”

“You have a test tomorrow,” Yuuri continues.

Hikari clamps her mouth shut with visible disappointment. Hinata pushes up his own glasses and gives their dad a look. “Can we leave early?” he offers as a compromise, ever the diplomat of their household.

Yuuri chuckles against his better judgment. “Kids—“ Hikari turns on the begging eyes and Hinata gives Yuuri a very serious and questioning look. Yuuri knows if he says no, they’ll repeat this with Victor who will immediately give in. “Okay. We’ll come get you after lunch— _Papulya_ already made your bentos, they shouldn’t go to waste.”

Hinata smiles and Hikari cheers, knocking into Yuuri with a hug. Yuuri hugs her back, and Daifuku shoves his snout under Yuuri’s arm for pets. It’s wonderful even if the sun hasn’t risen yet.

The bed dips with more added weight, and the last member of their household sits upright with his tail wrapped around his body. Kolos was a gift from Yuri for their fifteenth anniversary, and to both his and Victor’s surprise, they love the slightly sinister solid black Maine Coon as much as their dogs. 

Weirdly, the cat only truly loves Hinata. Kolos prowls close and sits on Yuuri’s pillow with a pointed stare. He then grooms his tail while purring. Yuuri strokes behind his ears before Hinata picks up the cat, who only struggles once before settling in the boy’s arms.

Victor returns with a pair of mugs. “ _Malyshkii_ , you should be getting ready for school,” he says, gentle and stern in equal measure. “Breakfast will be ready when you’re done.”

Hinata gets up and heads to his room to change. He gives Yuuri a little wave as he leaves. Hikari grumbles with a frown too strong for her young face. Her braid sways from side-to-side. “You promised!” she reminds Yuuri.

Yuuri nods and crosses his heart. She’s appeased as she heads to her room. Victor gets back into bed with him once he clears his throat and their menagerie make room. Yuuri has a cup of his favorite vanilla jasmine they discovered…was it in Hong Kong? Or Taipei? It’s been years since he knew for sure.

Victor sips his horrible black tea and jam, which the kids love. Yuuri feels betrayed every time he watches them sip mugs of that concoction.

“We’re bringing the kids home for a half day,” Yuuri announces.

“Are we,” Victor deadpans. The look in his eyes suggests that he foresaw this event.

Yuuri gives him a sour look. “Shut up.”

Victor laughs. “You’re too soft.”

“In more ways than one,” Yuuri complains, his free hand on his post-retirement tummy. It’s soft and a bit squishy, but Victor loves it and so do the kids. It can’t be helped since he no longer spends entire days dancing or on the ice, either.

“Well,” Victor says. “When we send the kids off, we’ll have about five hours to ourselves.”

“Mhm,” Yuuri says. Then he stops. “Wait, you don’t have practice today?”

“I scheduled Nobuyuki’s rest days for today with a late session tomorrow,” Victor says. “We’re at loose ends, provided you don’t have any work.”

“I’m ahead, actually,” Yuuri says. “It’s why I stayed up late the last few nights grading papers.”

“That’s my clever _lapochka_ ,” Victor says. Yuuri sets his empty mug on the side table and snuggles to his chest. Victor wraps him in his arms and when the moment’s right, he kisses him. Yuuri’s body spikes with fresh sparks like it’s the first time 20 years ago, and he clings to Victor’s t-shirt. 

Hikari’s loud call of “ _Papulya_!” ruins the moment, and Victor pulls away. 

“Hold that thought,” he says as he kisses Yuuri’s nose. He leaves to finish the porridge for breakfast, and Yuuri sits, staring across the bedroom out through double-pane windows overlooking a calm, pre-dawn sea.

In an odd coincidence or even perhaps a simple twist of fate, when they moved back to Hasetsu upon their true retirement the beach house from their first year together was for sale. They didn’t even tour it before placing a bid, and they won it handily. There was more than enough room for the kids and the pets, and it was theirs in a way Yuuri can’t explain even though they’d only stayed in it for a few weeks before buying it.

Victor coaches at the Ice Castle as well as teaching lessons, which the Nishigoris now own, and Yuuri teaches distance education courses for the Learning and Technology Program at the University of Tokyo. He goes up for a week once a month to handle administrative and faculty meetings, but he teaches online in a course that’s multimedia-based collaboration between students. It’s writing intensive, hence the papers.

Victor in his free time (and thanks to Yuuri’s tuition discount) takes classes to further his Japanese fluency and to learn more classic literature from a culture he didn’t have much exposure to in his compulsory education. Yuuri jokes he’s got enough credits for a double Bachelor’s at this point, though it’s not far from the truth. 

Yuuri still puts his skates on for the Annual fundraising gala for the Ice Castle, though, and Victor usually has him help Hikari with her step sequences. 

Hinata doesn’t skate, much to their surprise—he prefers chess already and has mentioned wanting to try archery when his arms grow longer. His acumen is mostly for math and languages—he’s better at Russian than his sister, who forgets it if she goes too long without speaking to her grandparents, and he’s been practicing rudimentary French in his spare time. His English is remarkable for his age, much to his dads’ pride.

The dogs and cat have all trapped Yuuri on the bed with their snoozing bodies, which is terrible because he has to pee. Guess he’ll just die here, Yuuri decides. Good thing he and Victor updated their will and life insurance policies recently.

He hears the front door close, kids off with their bentos and backpacks—Hikari also with a carefully curated Itabag of Nobuyuki—and Victor comes back to bed with a sly grin. “I’m supposed to spank you, right?” he says. “Forty-four plus one to grow on?”

Yuuri groans. “Who told you?”

“Phichit,” Victor answers with ease. “He’s mentioned it every year.”

“I’ll get him later,” Yuuri promises. He takes his glasses off. “Now—“

A cellphone rings—it’s a heinous 90s pop song that makes Yuuri laugh every time, because Chris is the one who put it on his phone when a certain sinister better half gave him the phone passcode at Worlds one year.

_Let me take off all your clothes, disconnect the phone so nobody knows—let me light a candle so we can make it better…_

The caller ID is a picture from two years ago of Phichit, Chris, and their hamsters, guinea pigs, and cats that was an outtake for a magazine spread about their beautiful custom home in Basel. Chris stopped bleaching his hair when he quit competing, and Phichit wears glasses now too, thick framed hipster-y ones he got free from doing an ad campaign in Bangkok. The name reads _Phichit’s Husband_. 

Phichit’s still reads _gurl u wish_ because some things need to stand the test of time. 

Victor hands him the phone. “Humor them, and then the morning’s ours.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Yuuri says. He answers the call. “Hey.” Two voices scream birthday greetings in their various languages, Yuuri holding his phone half a foot from ear. He sighs. “Thanks?”

“We’re gonna make this quick,” Phichit says. “But we wanted to be the first ones to say it that aren’t your children or spouse!”

“That’s fair,” Yuuri says with a laugh. Victor smiles, too. “How are you both?”

“We’re wonderful,” Chris answers that time. “Packing for Gstaad, we leave in four days!”

“Don’t break your ankles,” Yuuri says.

“Hard to when I sit by a fireplace drinking whiskey and playing board games with the pretty ski bunnies,” Phichit remarks. 

Chris elbows him. “ _Ma peche_ ,” he scolds with a stern look.

Phichit gives him a grin. “ _Je t’aime_ , pookie,” he teases his husband. “Anyways, Chris needs to make sure his gear is in good shape before we jet off, so we figured we’d call super early (or late, really, for us) to wish you the best! Your gift’s in the mail along with some goodies for the offspring!”

“Thanks, Phichit,” Yuuri says, voice warm and full.

Phichit salutes and Chris waves as the call disconnects. Yuuri shuts his phone off entirely. His husband, his beautiful husband of 47 going on 48 who time has only made better in every conceivable way, wraps around him before giving him a deep, loving kiss.

The house is quiet and theirs, a rare event to be sure, and they take full advantage as best they’re able until time requires they clean up and retrieve the kids.

_——-_

“I want to help _Oba_ —“ Hikari complains hours later as she tries to take a bowl of panko from her brother.

“You don’t pay enough attention,” Hinata scolds. “You’re messy. It’s bad for the inn’s bottom line to spill ingredients all over.”

“I am not!” Hikari says. “I just—“

“Hey,” Victor says sternly from the doorway. “Enough. Help your _Oba_ properly, or leave the kitchen and sit in the dining hall.”

Hikari folds her hands behind her back with a face that’s the picture of innocence. Flour streaks powder her ebony hair and cheeks.

Hinata stands on a stool looking sad due to Victor’s scolding with a pork cutlet half in and out of an egg wash. “ _Mne ochen' zhal’, Papulya_.”

“I’m sorry,” Hikari grudgingly adds. She sits on an empty stool with a frown; Victor strokes her hair so she knows he isn’t angry. 

Yuuri watches from the table by the kitchen widow with his sister on the other side. Mari has a similar look on her face to his as she pops in three pieces of Black Black. She cracks her neck and chews the gum loudly with a slight grimace. “Quitting going that well?” Yuuri says with a smile.

“This time it’s gonna stick,” Mari answers. “I’m serious. The price of cigarettes are out of control.”

Yuuri nods, knowing that really she’s quitting because of how much she loves the kids. Her last physical gave her a small wake up call, and since she’s quit smoking, started making more time for exercise, and watching her diet. He says nothing as she’ll loathe the attention on it, but he loves her an uncountable amount for it anyways.

They watch Hinata perfectly make katsudon using the family recipe, arranging it in the bowls with a beautiful presentation, and if he were old enough to be trusted with knives he’d be well on his way to perfecting the sashimi offerings as well. For now they stick to supervised uses of the stove, though he wouldn’t know how to break a rule if Yuuri gave him a Powerpoint presentation explaining the concept.

“He really comes alive here,” Mari says around her gum. Hinata has a smile on his face and concentration evident in the set of his eyebrows. 

“Yeah, I think we have an answer to keeping Yu-Topia in the family,” Yuuri adds as he sips the tea they share. “If he wants.”

“If he wants,” Mari agrees with a nod and a big smile. Hikari grabs the katusdon from her little brother and carries several servings on a tray to the dining area for two very special guests. Yuuri follows her with a smile at his sister before he sits at the table next to their parents.

It took Mari too many years of bickering and back-and-forth to be given proprietorship of the onsen, but she finally won when Yuuri and Victor settled in Hasetsu. The winning argument involved them not missing milestones of their grandchildren as they grew older.

Hiroko also began to have issues with her heart which sealed the deal. It’s managed with medication and regular examinations, but she can’t move the way she used to and the decision to let Mari take over made sense. They can enjoy their twilight years, and they come for dinner every Friday at their sons’ home. 

“Polina and Mikhail are due soon, right?” Toshiya asks with a bright grin as he stirs up the egg, onions, and rice in his bowl.

“They’re coming just before Chanukah,” Yuuri says. “Hikari and Hinata are the youngest Nikirofovs, so the holiday still excites them in a way it won’t when they get older. We’ll be heading to Tokyo to meet up— _Papen’ka_ is lecturing at Waseda University, and the timing worked out. There’s a reform synagogue in Shibuya. You’re welcome to join us—the Air B &B has plenty of space.”

“Remind us closer to,” Hiroko says with a smile. Her hair is shot through with white now, her hugs that much more warm and soft, and Yuuri puts his hand on top of hers to squeeze it once. “We haven’t been to Tokyo in ages.”

Yuuri nods. Chattering fills the front lobby, three excited mostly-identical voices bickering while more subdued people Yuuri would know anywhere telling them to calm down. 

“I’m _just saying_ that if Jeanne-Marie Leroy doesn’t get it together, she won’t make Worlds either—“

“She’s having a hard time! She hit her growth spurt this summer! Don’t be so judgy!”

“Piotr Popovich in Men’s is having similar issues adjusting—he’s so tall now, like a reed—!”

“Girls,” sighs their mother. 

Axel, Lutz, and Loop Nishigori go silent in varying ways—Axel huffs and rolls her eyes, Lutz bites her bottom lip with obvious guilt, and Loop winces before nodding. They no longer color-code themselves, but Axel bleaches her hair to match Victor’s platinum-silver and keeps it in a bob, Lutz wears hers down between her shoulder blades with a red gloss to bring out her highlights, and Loop pulls hers up into messy top knots with a pen sticking out. Lutz also wears glasses, black cats eye shaped frames that make her look like a librarian.

They run the world’s most popular figure skating blog and commentary social site, perhaps due to a boost from their parents’ close buddies, one of whom happens to coach local JSF Star Abe Nobuyuki. Due to their exclusive access to him as well as Victor and Yuuri, _Axel Lutz Loop dot com_ reigns supreme in clicks, ad revenue, and exclusives.

They’ve already begged for a Q&A with Hikari when she wins her first gold in Juniors. Permission was granted, Hikari screaming and jumping up and down when the question was posed.

“Yuuri-kun!” their voices sing together. They pile around him, a mess of arms and three different perfumes threatening to smother him. “Happy birthday!”

Yuuri laughs. “Thank you.”

Their mom and dad sit next to him—Takeshi’s hair is salt and pepper at his temples, and the only tell that Yuu-chan’s even aged a day are the lines by her eyes and mouth that show when she smiles. “Happy birthday,” they tell him. 

Yuuri gives them a big group hug. “Thank you.”

There’s only one person missing from the celebrations, but she had Nobuyuki for a late session apparently so she’ll be along soon. Sure enough when the kids, Victor, and Mari bring out the last of the food, Minako shows up with Victor’s charge in tow. 

The only real difference between Minako now versus then is she no longer wears contacts under any circumstances, but she’s still no-nonsense and drinks far too much, she still gives Yuuri shit when he needs it, and she still is a force to be reckoned with above all else.

Nobuyuki is classically good-looking with warm hazel eyes and deep brown hair he keeps shoulder length like Yuuri has since the year he married. It’s commonly tied back in low ponytails, though he lets Victor do more elaborate updos for competitions. Hikari watches him like she sees the sun for the first time, her eyes sparkling like Yuuri’s sure his did when he watched a certain someone win Junior Worlds. 

History may repeat, he ponders. Though—Hikari should try to notice boys more in her age cohort, he feels. No telling what the future will bring…no sense in having concern until he must.

Victor sits half behind Yuuri with an arm around his waist, his other hand running through his hair, and Yuuri makes a pleased sound as he presses back into him. Everyone shares food and laughter like it’s a holiday or a festival. Minako pushes up her glasses and points at Victor with an accusing stare. “His flexibility is trash,” she declares.

“I’m sitting right next to you,” Nobuyuki complains with a sigh. Lutz gives him a sympathetic nod as she fills his glass with some sake. 

Victor laughs around his sochu. “I’ll make a note for tomorrow afternoon’s practice.”

They bicker back and forth, their charge chiming in to remind them he’s the favorite to win the GPF this year after gold at the NHK trophy and silver at the Trophee de France. Yuuri streamed the latter competition, showing the kids when they were done with homework and school. 

Tonight, he sits quietly while everyone around him chatters—Hinata asks Mari for more and more details about the onsen, prompting Mari to suggest after school some days he come help and observe. Hikari gets ballet critique from Minako as well, resolving to practice and work harder in the same breath she shyly asks Nobuyuki if he wants to share a piece of mochi with her. 

Yuu-chan and Takeshi discuss renovation plans for the Ice Castle with his parents, Toshiya suggesting a few contractors who’ve done work on Yu-Topia. The triplets are essentially giving Nobuyuki an informal interview, but he’s not fussed so no one tells them to stop.

Yuuri looks at the rings on his right hand—a gold band with a snowflake on the inside from Barcelona, a mixed metal piece of platinum and yellow gold custom made to stack on top he exchanged with Victor in this very city almost twenty years ago. 

Victor gives him a soft look. “Everything alright, _lapochka_?”

Yuuri smiles at him with happy tears forming in his eyes. He kisses Victor by the corner of his lips. “Everything is amazing,” he says.


	2. Victor's 45th Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For Victor's birthday, he wants to teach his son to skate.
> 
> It doesn't go super well. 
> 
> Though maybe it actually does.

As soon as Hikari was old enough to walk and ask to skate, Yuuri and Victor took her to the Ice Castle during a private session, put her in tiny rented boots, and let her fly. It was as natural to her as loving their pets and family, as natural as talking because she was a beautiful motormouth, and as eating the matcha chocolates they tried to restrict her on.

Hinata though…it was long past the age where he could handle being on the ice before finally they managed to talk him into it. 

The fateful day was Victor’s 45th birthday. Hikari glided, Yuuri having to scold her when he’d catch her trying even single jumps since she was only eight. Hikari would listen to her Otouchan, though it was a near thing.

Yuuko fit Hinata for his skates. Hinata solemnly thanked her, and Victor laced them up. “Don’t worry if you fall,” Victor reassured with a smile. “It takes a while to achieve balance.”

Hinata nodded solemnly, not having needed glasses yet in those days, and Victor walked him into the rink in his GRAF boots and the gold blades, even after all this time. 

Yuuri and Hikari were already out. “I’m going to be the first lady to land four quads!” Hikari boasted.

Yuuri’s face looked panicked for a moment before he pasted on a smile. “Sure, Hikari,” he said with a slight waver of concern. 

Victor walked backwards with Hinata’s tiny hands in his, and his son would not look up, so fixed on the rented boots. He woobled with every step, and Victor loved his son more than he did that morning. “Daijobou, lapushka?”

Hinata did not reply, not verbally—his trembling got far worse, and Victor held his hands more tightly. “Papulya,” he said after a minute. “I don’t want to do this.”

That’s all it took. “Okay.” 

Victor skated him very slowly to the boards and took him back to the boot counter. Yuuko gave them a concerned look. “Is everything okay?”

“He doesn’t like it, so we’re done,” Victor answered as he sat him on a bench. He removed each boot easily, and Yuuko gave Victor back Hinata’s Mizuno trainers. 

Hinata stays silent, but it’s different from his normal quietness. He’s far more solemn than usual, and when Victor looked up with a reassuring smile he saw tears in his eyes.

Hikari has always been the crier.

“Hinata?” Victor asked.

Hinata shook and swallowed back a sob. “I’m sorry. I messed up.”

A worried Yuuri entered the locker room, though Hinata’s back was to him. He gave Victor a look—he heard the comment. Victor gave Yuuri a subtle nod to stay put.

“Why do you think that?” Victor asked.

“Everyone skates,” Hinata said. “But I—I don’t want to. I _never_ wanted to, it seems so dangerous and scary…but it seemed  _so important_ —”

“You trying is what matters,” Victor said. Yuuri joined him, sitting on the bench next to Hinata. Hinata was like Yuuri was at a young age, hating being coddled or intruded upon when unhappy. This time, he buried his face in Yuuri’s cardigan and cried. “Lapushka, all we care about is that you be honest with us. If you don’t like skating, that’s fine. We want you to find something that makes _you_ happy.”

“Don’t worry about pleasing us,” Yuuri assured him as he rubbed Hinata’s back. “As long as you love what you do and are true to yourself, your Papulya and I are all set.”

He looked up at Yuuri first, wiping his eyes with his shirt sleeve. Then he looked at Victor. “But it’s Papulya’s birthday.”

“I will have many more birthdays,” Victor proudly declared. “You know, I don’t love what Babushka and Dedushka do, and I made my own way. Their love has never wavered or been conditional.”

“That’s right,” Yuuri said. “Your Oba-chan and Ojisan are the same. They never got much into skating aside from supporting me, but they never loved me any less, and they always were there for me when they needed to be. Mari-oba too.”

Hinata sniffled and instantly composed himself. Neither Victor nor Yuuri have any idea where that originated, because it’s definitely not either of them. Victor fixed his son’s trademark Nikiforov silver hair, and they gathered Hikari (not without some fussing) from the ice. 

 Later that day at the birthday party for Victor Mari threw at Yu-Topia, when they saw how alive Hinata came when Mari showed him how to make the platters for the crowd, how many questions he babbled at her…Yuuri and Victor wrapped their arms around each other and smiled.


	3. Growing Up, It's Something You Can Measure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri is away for work and Victor has the kids.
> 
> A monumental first happens for Hikari that leaves them all scrambling.

The sound of a door slamming is uncommon in the Katsuki-Nikiforov household, enough so when Victor hears it he almost drops his teacup right in front of his slippered feet. 

In the summer the kids will close the sliding doors far too hard as they run out to the beach to swim, but this was an inside door. Hikari’s, if he has to guess. Sundays are for her to do her homework as well rest from ice and rosin-protected parquet. It’s also the scheduled week for his lapochka’s trip to Tokyo. He should be arriving to Tokyo station for his connection to Shibuya shortly, Victor notes as he checks the time. 

Victor sets his drink on the counter, wading through dog bodies who follow their Oldest Hooman to her door. There’s a sign on it in lavender glitter with her name in kanji, Cyrillic, and English lettering she made in school for an art project.  Victor knocks. “Lisichka? Is everything alright?”

“Go away,” comes an upset and angry sounding 12 year old voice.

Victor’s eyes widen—while Hikari tends to dote a little more on Yuuri, she has no standoffishness towards him. At least, not normally. “Hikari? What’s wrong? Please let me help if I can.”

“It’s gross,” she says.

Victor blinks while rubbing his hand through his hair. “I don’t…” He pauses. “Why don’t we try talking it out? I’m sure I won’t agree.”

There’s silence and then the door is flung open. Hikari’s hair, neatly plaited when he last saw her an hour ago, is now a disheveled ponytail. She had on a pair of pants and a sweater, but now she’s back in her pajamas. 

What breaks his heart is how miserable she looks. He opens his arms and after a wary stare, she falls into them. After a couple of minutes, she begins to cry. “Lisichka,” he says. He strokes her hair several times. 

“It hurts,” she says. “It hurts a lot, and everything’s unfair.”

“What hurts?” he asks, beginning to sound an alarm in his head. Is their doctor open today? If not is there an emergency clinic he can take her to? He’ll send Hinata to the onsen, have him stay with Mari while—

“My stomach,” Hikari says. “I have these cramps. And I—” she stops herself with a frown. “Can we call Otouchan? Or Mari-oba?”

Victor pulls his phone out of his pocket and selects his first contact. It rings twice before being sent to voice mail because—right, he’s on the train. He can’t talk. 

A few seconds later, though, there’s an iMessage. Hey. What’s going on?

Victor passes her the phone. “He can’t speak on the phone, so tell him this way, alright?”

Hikari nods with a wet sniffle. She types furiously and then waits for a response.  When she gets it, Victor can feel her relief, but she’s still horribly sad and frustrated. “He says to get me some NSAIDs, a heating pad or hot water bottle, and to let me just lie down for a while after both.”

Victor doesn’t understand at all, but he goes to the medicine cabinet in the master suite and grabs a bottle of Meridon. He gets her a bottle of her favorite aloe drink, and he lets her take two pills chased by the beverage. She still looks like her world is ending, and Victor longs to fix it. 

He gets her a heating pad and she takes it with a sad nod. Then she lies down on her bed with her knees drawn to her chest. She turns the pad up to high when it’s placed low on her stomach and just breathes for a while until her expression smooths.

Victor checks the texts. Have Mari, Yuu-chan, or the triplets go to the pharmacy to get her pads. I’m not sure what will work best since it’s her first one. Also if she asks for anything like chocolate, salty foods, or red meat, let her have it. It’s normal when this happens.

When…what happens? Victor can’t help but ask. He thinks pads and chocolate are some kind of major hint, but he’s blanking.

Her period, Vitya. She just got her first period. 

Victor stares at the phone like it’s a cobra that just bit him eight times. What…but…she’s just…she’s a baby still! She’s so little! She hasn’t grown up enough for this! He’s not old enough for this! 

Are you sure?

Blood in her underwear, painful cramps, out of nowhere bad mood…yeah I’m sure. We eat twice a week with my older sister—I know the signs pretty well, I’d say. 

Victor tries not to fall to the ground. He’s not ready for this. 

I’m not ready for this.

Not your call. Try to be gentle but don’t press her too hard or be too invasive. Give her the snacks and don’t bother her about competition weight or costumes. Caffeine is a bad idea, it may make her cramps worse. And get her the pads ASAP, she’s making do with less than ideal options since we didn’t have any in the house.

Okay. I’ll do all of this. Thank you, lapochka. I miss you and wish you were home.

I do too, I feel bad not being there. I’ll see if I can reschedule some of my meetings and come home a few days early.

Victor’s palms are sweaty. He wipes his right hand off on his trousers. Thank you, lapochka. Miss you. Love you.

I love you too. I’ll let you know about coming home. Call me if you need any other tips. 💙

I will 💙💙💙💙, Victor replies. 

He walks back to the kitchen and takes two ibuprofen himself with a sip of his now-cold tea. He texts Mari next explaining the situation, and Mari gives him brand names and thicknesses for Hikari to choose from as needed, but there’s a big footie match in a half an hour and she can’t leave the onsen. 

He orders from Amazon Now and forty minutes later, he has the pads. He knocks on her door before opening it. “Hikari, your Otouchan told me what happened. I um—got you things.” 

He holds the pads like a bomb. Hikari gives him a confused look at first until she realizes what he has. “Can you put them in my bathroom? I’ll…get one soon.”

“Yes,” Victor says and puts them within easy reach of the toilet. He leaves, and he gives her a look. She hasn’t moved and her eyes have closed again. He honestly doesn’t know what to do, and he feels ancient, and she’s his baby and this is too soon—

“Papulya?” she says, soft and timid. Not the force of nature she is normally. His heart shatters. 

“Yes?”

“Can you lie down with me?” her voice is watery again. She sounds scared, like every breath is a struggle. 

He couldn’t refuse if he wanted. Her bed is a bit small for them both, but they manage so she doesn’t have to move out of her comfortable position. Daifuku tentatively joins them at their feet with a sad expression, the other dogs crowding the floor on her side of the mattress. 

Hinata peers around the partially-opened door. He adjusts his glasses in a way that’s 100% Yuuri, and Victor misses him more than he ever has. The family is missing a large piece on an important occasion and it feels wrong. Victor gestures over Hikari’s back, and Hinata climbs onto the bed as best he can. 

Hikari manages to doze off, Hinata as well even though they both hate naps, and Victor checks his phone. 

How is she? Is everything okay?

Not quite but it’s better, Victor responds because Yuuri will be displeased if he lies.  
I’ll be home Wednesday evening. I’ll call in a couple of hours, too,  and let her know. I’m so sorry that I’m not there.

Nothing to apologize for, lapochka. You cannot read the future. We’ll make do until your return. 

Okay. I’ll still call later. Probably after I get dinner. If she wants to stay home tomorrow, go ahead and let her. She may feel awkward, or she may not feel well enough.

I think I’ll just tell her to stay home regardless.

Okay. Let me know if you have any other questions or if she needs anything else. Tell her I love her.

I will. Thank you again. Love you.

You too.

Victor locks the phone. He strokes his daughter’s back while his son’s glasses go askew as he turns his face too far into Victor’s chest. None of them in this bed are ready, but they have to be anyways. 

It’s what growing up means. It’s been a long time since Victor has, but that hasn’t changed. Truly, he suspects it’s simply a constant, that there’s really nothing more permanent than transformations and adaptions.

**Author's Note:**

> I forgot had two other pieces set in the future on my Tumblr, so they are here now! 
> 
> The pet names Victor uses for the kids are little fox (Hikari) and little paw (Hinata), more or less.


End file.
